Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
The use of the local environment is very engaging in this lesson. It is also a real world problem that has resulted of climate change and one that the children can make links and connections to!
These sound like great ideas! There are also many links to make to Aistear when exploring the topic of Space. It provides many opportunities for cross curriculum integreation!
The film ‘HOME’ by Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s is very moving! It really highlights the major issues that arise from climate change and how these impact our environment. I think a lot of the concepts mentioned in the Home video are abstract and may need to be broken down for the younger classes. Perhaps a topic could take a focus each week for example: Overfishing on Week 1, Water Pollution Week 2, Deforestation Week 3. By doing this, the children can build on their learning from the previous week but it also doesn’t overwhelm children either with learning all new concepts in one lesson! Prior to watching the video, I would ask the children to take note of 3 questions they would ask about the video. At the end of the video, class discussion would occur surrounding the video and what stuck out to the students. I would then ask the children to share their questions with the class. I would then call on the other students to see if any of them could answer the childrens questions. By doing so, the lesson is interactive and collaborative and everyone is learning from each other! My overall lesson objectives for Lesson 1 would be to introduce the topic of climate change to the children and also to encourage and develop critical thinking skills. I would then build on this learning by focusing on different aspects of climate change in future lessons
Using images to explain the harder concepts is a great idea, this could be particularly effective in the younger classes!
I would introduce the lesson by informing the children we are going to watch an interesting video! Prior to watching the video, I would question the children to elicit their prior knowledge on the topic of Greenhouse gases. I would use a mix of higher and lower order questions to determine where the children are at! I would then get the children to discuss the most important parts of the video in their opinion. I think the video explains in a child friendly way however it may not be suited to the older classes. I think this lesson could be used as a starting point for a series of lessons on greenhouse gases and climate change. I think it is very important to use the children’s immediate environment in order to ensure lessons are pitched at an appropriate level to them
Using the children’s life experiences is a great starting point and will help to make learning more meaningful for the children
Brainstorming to elicit prior knowledge is a great starting point for this lesson. It helps to determine where the children are at and how the lesson should be pitched!
The paper ‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’, was very interesting! It allowed me to reflect on the importance of active learning surrounding STEM lessons in the classroom. It emphasises the importance of involving the children and a hands on approach to STEM. This module really opened up my eyes to how I can enhance the teaching of STEM in my classroom. There are many different approaches to teaching STEM that can be used in the classroom. It could be effective to focus on different areas each term. A wole school approach could also be useful.
Exploring the difference between weather and climate could be a tricky topic especially in the younger classes. The difference between weather and climate could be quite abstract especially when the wording is often used together! Watching videos on these and defining the terms could be a good starting point- what is weather> what is climate? How do they differ I think researching different climates around the world could be a good lesson to emphasise the differences between weather and climate. For this, the children could use iPads and each be given a different country to research. Discussion could occur afterwards based on the different types of climate- are there simialrities/ differences?I definitely agree with you! I love the idea of bird feeders. In the newer parts of our school, we have the push taps which turn off after several seconds. This is a great idea to help reduce water waste
Climate change is effecting our local area by increased flooding. Average rainfall measurements are increasing. There is now a lot more flooding occurring throughout the year compared to past years. This is a consequence of climate change. Pupils could explore this further by carrying out a research project. Another effective idea would be to get parents to interview grand parents and parents about their experiences and memories of floods when they were children. Answers can be compared and contrasted. This enables children to make a link to the learning when relating family members life experiences. Photographs of the past and present could also be looked at.
3 actions that I could do is:
1. Make a conscious effort to continuously learn more about climate change and reflect my learning in my teaching to help the students learn about climate change.
2. Make a more conscious effort to recycle and dispose of waste
3. Engage in projects with my class that help to reduce the risk of climate change.I definitely agree that there should be an option of a balance between hot and cold lunches, we have encountered similar scenarios in our school.
The sustainable development goal I have chosen is ‘Zero Hunger’. At a local level in Ireland, the government have introduced the Free hot schools meals programme in DEIS schools. This is a great idea! However, when this was first introduced it was to DEIS schools only. It did not acknowledge that children attending non DEIS schools may also be hungry. This has since been changed which has acknowledged that children can be hungry and hunger is not determined by geographic location. However, when you look at hunger in our country and in 3rd world countries, the differences are stark but the sad similarity is that there are hungry children all over the world.
I think it is important when diving into the topic of ‘No hunger’, teachers are aware of their class and the needs that may be present. We sometimes as teachers can focus on this and on 3rd world countries when it can also be an issue here in Ireland due to family circumstances and the increase in cost of living!
As a teacher in a DEIS school, I always have breakfast bars in my cupboard as well as fruit juices. We sometimes have toast in the mornings as an introduction to the day. This is a soft start to the day and also allows children who may not have eaten breakfast a chance to have some in school.
